


The Head Massage

by minahbirdie (mrina)



Category: Kumkum Bhagya, hindi serials, zee tv
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, marriage in recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2390603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrina/pseuds/minahbirdie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Daadi tells Pragya to give a tired Abhi a head massage in front of the whole family, Pragya discovers a small opportunity for revenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Head Massage

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at india-forums under the username -mina-. No infringement intended to any copyright holders; no profit is made from this work.

Abhi walked in after a long day working with sponsors, doing shoots and rehearsals. He saw Daadi, Taiji and Tauji sitting in the living room. Mitali and Raj came in to join them.  
  
Abhi went and sat with his family, collapsing on the sofa with a heavy sigh.  
  
"Arre beta, you look so tired!" Daadi said.  
  
"Hanh, woh, we were practicing stunts today. I am feeling very achy." Abhi said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Oh, then you should have a massage, Daadi said brightly. She saw Pragya and Aaliya coming from opposite sides of the house. "Pragya bahu!"  
  
"Ji Daadi?" Pragya came up to them. She gave Taiji the address book she had been sent to retrieve. Taiji loved asking Pragya to do little tasks that gave Pragya minor inconveniences like having to trek up two floors and to the other corner of the house to get an address book with phone numbers that Taiji didn't really even need until the next day.  
  
"Come and give Abhi a head message. He is so tired, poor dear." Daadi waved her hand towards Abhi, inviting Pragya to observe his exhaustion.  
  
"What, me?" Pragya exclaimed, her eyes widening in alarm. "Daadi, I don't think -"  
  
"No, no, Daadi," Aaliya interrupted quickly. "You should do Bhai's massage, like always. Aapke haanthon mein jadoo hain na?" she said in her fake syrupy sweet voice.  
  
"I don't need a massage," Abhi added, glaring at Pragya while Daadi was looking at Aaliya.  
  
"Chup kar!" Daadi retorted. "Abhi is married now. It is his wife who can do magic for him now."  
  
Pragya and Abhi each internally winced at this remark, for different reasons, but only the slightest hint of their disgust crossed their faces.  
  
"Go now, beta," Daadi said to Pragya. "Can't you see he is in pain?"  
  
Pragya avoided looking at Abhi. "Umm, not here Daadi, let's -"  
  
"Stop wasting time bahu! Nothing to be shy about, we are all family here."  Taiji, Tauji and Mitali were sending each other hidden looks of amusement. Raj just seemed bored and ever patient as usual.  
  
Pragya tried to convince Daadi that it was not a good idea, and Abhi insisted again that he was fine. But neither of them succeeded, and before Abhi could get up and walk away, Daadi had cajoled  Pragya into sitting with Abhi.  
  
"Very good beta. Abhi, now put your head in bahu's lap."  
  
"Daadi!" they both exclaimed in horror. Pragya was so embarrassed she didn't know where to look, while Abhi was starting to have very mean thoughts about his beloved grandmother.  
  
"Go on!" Daadi said, impervious to their objections.  
  
Muttering about all the unceasing hassles in his life, Abhi shifted position. He looked up at Pragya and said in a low voice, "Don't get any ideas Chashmish. Just do what Daadi said."  
  
Pragya rolled her eyes and set her hands to his temples. She tried to ignore the bizarre sensation of having his head on her thigh, and that too in front of the whole family. She tentatively began rubbing his forehead.  
  
"You call that a massage?" Abhi taunted, for her ears only.  
  
"I'd really rather not be touching you," Pragya whispered back in an angry undertone.  
  
"Don't forget his hair," Daadi said. Then she engaged Taiji and Tauji in conversation. Aaliya had walked away with a resigned shrug of her shoulders, she couldn't do anything more to rescue her Bhai for the moment.  
  
" _Don't_ touch my hair," Abhi hissed, in the same way as he said " _Don't_ touch my pillow" and _"Don't_ touch my collar" at other times.  
  
Pragya scowled at him briefly. "As if I _could_ touch your hair," she answered under her breath. "What is all this gunk they put on it?" She poked at the hair brushed to the edge of Abhi's forehead. It was crusted solid with hair gel.  
  
"Hey!" Abhi yelped. Immediately, Abhi and Pragya felt all eyes on them.  
  
Pragya answered for Abhi. "Woh, kuch nahin Daadi, I just hit a good spot," she said sweetly, smirking down at Abhi after Daadi nodded her acceptance of this explanation.  
  
"Just let bahu help you, beta," Daadi said to Abhi.  
  
"Hanh, just help her torture me," Abhi muttered. To Pragya he said, "My hair is a work of art. My stylist spent an hour setting it like this. But you wouldn't understand."  
  
"Right," Pragya said agreeably. His use of the word 'torture' gave her a new idea. She trailed her fingers further into his hair. When she finally found a less-gelled portion, she scraped her fingers against his scalp.  
  
Abhi flinched, but managed not to shout out. "Watch it, Chashmish!" he warned Pragya. "Just make this fast, so Daadi will be happy and we can both leave."  
  
"But what kind of wife would I be if I didn't give my husband a full, proper head massage?" Pragya replied with a dangerous grin.  
  
"Chashmish, don't - OW!" Abhi tried to get off of Pragya's lap. Daadi or no Daadi, he was not going to just lie there and let the Chashmish pull his hair like a schoolyard bully. However, she held him down with just the gentle pressure of her hands...and the taunting look in her eyes that reminded him that they were on display.  
  
"Ab kya hua?" Daadi demanded.  
  
"Hanh, ab kya hua?" Pragya murmured to Abhi.  
  
Abhi sent her a death glare with his eyes. "N-nothing Daadi. She's just so good at finding sore spots," he lied.  
  
Then for the next 10 minutes, Abhi had to continue to endure Pragya's hands on his head. Every now and then she gave his hair a sharp tug or poked her fingers harshly against his skull, but he had to bear it in silence...while trying not to enjoy an otherwise surprisingly comfortable head massage. He tried to busy his mind with ideas of how to make the Chashmish pay for this.  
  
For her part, Pragya enjoyed the small opportunity for revenge. Now if only she could find a way to drop him from her lap onto the floor without looking bad in front of Daadi...

**Author's Note:**

> My Hindi probably has grammar mistakes.
> 
> "Arre beta, you look so tired!" Daadi said.  
> ="My dear, you look so tired."
> 
> "Hanh, woh, we were practicing stunts today. I am feeling very achy." Abhi said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
> ="Yes, that is, we were practicing stunts today."
> 
> bahu = daughter-in-law
> 
> Bhai = brother
> 
> Taiji = Abhi's greedy aunt
> 
> Tauji = Abhi's uncle
> 
> "Ji Daadi?"  
> ="Yes, Daadi?" (Ji is the polite "yes" used with elders and in formal situations)
> 
> "Aapke haanthon mein jadoo hain na?" Aaliya said in her fake syrupy sweet voice.  
> ="Your hands work magic, don't they?"
> 
> "Chup kar!" Daadi retorted.  
> ="Be quiet!"
> 
> "Woh, kuch nahin Daadi, I just hit a good spot," Pragya said sweetly.  
> ="Oh, it's nothing Daadi. I just hit a good spot."
> 
> "Ab kya hua?" Daadi demanded.  
> ="What happened now?"
> 
> "Hanh, ab kya hua?" Pragya murmured to Abhi.  
> ="Yes, what happened now?"
> 
> Comments much appreciated! Thanks for reading :)


End file.
